ALAMEDA – Raiders receiver Andre Holmes fractured his left hand nearly three weeks ago. He practiced without issue on Sunday, completing a speedy recovery that should give him enough time to play when the regular season opens Sept. 13 against Cincinnati.
That is, of course, if Holmes integrates himself back into the offense in time. The lanky veteran sees no reason why he can’t do exactly that.
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“I don’t really feel behind at all,” Holmes said. “I tried to stay focused in meetings, and I really felt good out there in practice. There was some concern about where my conditioning was at, but everything went well. Now I can just move forward.”
Holmes was expected to miss 3-4 weeks recovering from his injury, but returned in time to get a full week’s work in prior to the Bengals game. That should knock off any rust accumulated with the down time. He was able to run routes and stay well conditioned outside of practice, but little kinks might need to be worked.
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“There could be some timing issues we have to get cleaned up,” Holmes said. “There wasn’t anything major in this practice, and I really feel like I’m close to being back where I was.”
Holmes said he wasn’t sure exactly how quick he’d be able to return, and was happy with the rehab process and his ability to stay involved. Now last year’s leading receiver will add to a deep receiver corps that gives quarterback Derek Carr plenty of options in the passing game. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound deep threat will add another dimension to this group and make the Raiders harder to defend.
“Every one of us can go out and make plays,” Holmes said. “Every one of us can be a game changer. There have been huge upgrades made to this group. I’m excited to see what we can do.”
